University of Bonn, Institute of Geosciences, Paleontology, Bonn, Germany.
Urwelt-Museum Oberfranken, Bayreuth, Germany.
PeerJ. 2022 Aug 26;10:e13818. doi: 10.7717/peerj.13818. eCollection 2022.
In 2009, the historical mount of the holotype of from the Upper Muschelkalk of Oschenberg (Laineck Mountain Range, near Bayreuth, southern Germany) was disassembled and the original postcranial skeleton was reworked and remounted in find position. Its morphology is described and figured for the first time in detail. Further on, a thorough overview of the sedimentary environment and the historical activities around the Upper Muschelkalk quarries in the vicinity of Bayreuth is given. The holotype of is one out of only two fairly complete nothosaur skeletons known from the Bayreuth Upper Muschelkalk and greatly emends our knowledge of the morphology of the species and the genus. It will further allow an assignment of isolated elements to this taxon. The specimen consists of an articulated and complete neck and anterior trunk vertebral column as well as several articulated parts of the anterior tail region. The sacral region is partially preserved but disarticulated. Besides vertebrae, ribs and gastral fragments, both humeri, the right femur, few zeugopodial and autopodial elements, and the right pelvic girdle are preserved. The very high neural spines of the holotype are stabilized by a supersized zygosphene-zygantrum articulation reaching far dorsally. Together with the large intercentral spaces this character suggests lateral undulation of the trunk region during fast swimming whereas propelling with the broad and wing-shaped humerus and the flat ulna was used during slower swimming. The total body length for this not fully grown individual is reconstructed as between 290 to 320 cm. Preservation, degree of completeness, and articulation of the individual is unique. The skull and shoulder girdle are both lost, whereas articulated strings of the vertebral column have turned and appendicular bones have shifted posteriorly or anteriorly, respectively, indicating water movements and possibly also scavenging.
2009 年,对产自德国拜罗伊特附近上贝壳灰岩中的正型标本(Oschenberg,莱宁山脉,拜罗伊特南部)的后体骨骼进行了重新组装,其形态学特征被首次详细描述和描绘。此外,还对拜罗伊特附近上贝壳灰岩采石场的沉积环境和历史活动进行了全面概述。该正型标本是仅有的两件来自拜罗伊特上贝壳灰岩的较为完整的南美蜥脚形亚目恐龙骨架之一,极大地丰富了我们对该物种和属形态的认识。它还将进一步允许将孤立的元素分配给这个分类单元。该标本由一个完整的、关节相连的颈部和前躯脊椎骨以及前尾部的几个关节部分组成。骶骨部分保存但已分离。除了椎体、肋骨和腹肋碎片外,还保存了两个肱骨、右股骨、一些桨状肢和足肢骨骼以及右骨盆带。正型标本的神经棘非常高,通过一个超大的关节突-关节窝关节得以稳定,该关节突-关节窝延伸到背部非常远的位置。加上较大的椎间空间,这个特征表明在快速游动时躯干部会发生侧向波动,而使用宽阔的翼状肱骨和扁平的尺骨则是在较慢游动时进行推进。对于这个未完全生长的个体,其全长被重建为 290 至 320 厘米之间。该个体的保存情况、完整程度和关节连接都是独一无二的。头骨和肩带都丢失了,而脊椎骨的关节链已经扭曲,附肢骨骼分别向后或向前移位,这表明存在水流运动,可能还有食腐行为。